CUTTACK: The body of a retired chemistry professor of Ravenshaw University was found floating in the Mahanadi river at Jobra barrage here on Tuesday.
The deceased, 78-year-old Baishnab Charan Singh, was reported missing two days back. Police said Singh had been staying with his son and daughter-in-law at Raghunathpur in Bhubaneswar. His son, Biswa G Singh, had filed a complaint stating Singh had been missing since Sunday.
Quoting his family members, police said Singh had gone for a morning walk on Sunday morning but did not return home. CCTV footages revealed he had boarded Mo Bus no 18 to Jagatpur and was last seen in Sikharpur at around 8.30 am.
On the day, locals found his body floating in Mahanadi river near Jobra barrage gate no 94 and informed police. The body was then retrieved from the water body and later identified as Singh’s by his family members. As per his family members, Singh was suffering from some mental illness for which he was on medications. Few days back, he had allegedly also attempted suicide.
The body has, meanwhile, been handed over to the family after postmortem. “An unnatural death case has been registered and postmortem report is awaited to ascertain whether Singh died by suicide or was murdered,” said a senior police officer.